Published on: March 28, 2026, 03:53h.
Most recently updated on: March 27, 2026, 04:54h.
- Is it essential to teach the risks of gambling in high school education?
- A representative for responsible gaming at DraftKings argues for the importance of educating youth about gambling.
DraftKings, along with major competitors like FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and Fanatics, have faced criticism for their role in rising problem gambling statistics in the United States. A responsible gaming advocate for the iGaming platform has called for schools to educate students about the dangers of gambling addiction.
Lori Kalani, DraftKings’ Chief Responsible Gaming Officer, discussed this topic with The Hill’s Elizabeth Prann during an episode of “Raising America.” Kalani proposed that high schools introduce classes on responsible gaming to their curriculum.
“Times are changing. When I was in high school, we didn’t discuss social media and privacy. People are starting to realize we must address gambling with the younger generation,” Kalani emphasized.
“Gambling has become ubiquitous. Children can engage in real-money gaming through video games. It’s crucial that we educate them on enjoying it responsibly and in moderation,” Kalani added.
March Marks Responsible Gaming Month
March is recognized as Problem Gambling Awareness Month, an initiative organized by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG). As the only national organization focused on reducing gambling-related harm, the NCPG, based in Washington, DC, reports an uptick in gambling-related issues.
A study from UC San Diego released in February 2025 corroborated these findings, revealing a 23% increase in internet searches for gambling assistance from 2018 to 2024.
In May 2018, the US Supreme Court rescinded a federal prohibition on single-game sports betting, a pivotal ruling that unleashed a new era for sports gambling, making it more mainstream.
“The surge in sportsbooks parallel with internet searches for gambling addiction help, including queries like ‘am I addicted to gambling,’ increased by 23% nationally since the Murphy v. NCAA ruling in June 2024. This represents approximately 6.5 to 7.3 million national searches for gambling addiction support, peaking at 180,000 monthly searches,” the study indicated.
Online searches for help were significantly more prevalent in states that allow online sports betting, such as Ohio (67%), Pennsylvania (50%), Massachusetts (47%), and Michigan (37%).
Sports Betting Financial Losses
In 2025, American sports bettors incurred nearly $17 billion in losses to legal sportsbooks, translating to a record-breaking $16.96 billion in sports betting revenue – a 23% increase year-over-year.
New York dominates the sports betting market, with bookmakers there handling $26 billion in bets and retaining $2.5 billion in revenue. Within New York, DraftKings accounted for $8.6 billion in online wagers during the fiscal year 2024-25, which ended in March 2025, generating gross revenue of $727.9 million.